I woke up to the soft sound of birds whistling outside. Except this time, it wasn't seagulls and pelicans, these were the soft trills of forest birds. Opening my eyes, I rub the grit that was stuck to my cheek from the dirt I was laying on. My back itched like I had rolled in poison ivy; no matter how much I scratched, the nagging feeling wasn't leaving. No one else was awake except me. Stupid, we should've had a guard.
I rubbed my back roughly against the edge of the Cornucopia, grunting from the itch. It began to hurt immensely, like something was ripping out of my back. My back arched in pain as I screamed. In the back of my mind, I registered a trail of blood run down my back, but I was more focused on the horrible, ripping feeling from my back as the skin split apart. The back of my uniform was torn open, revealing a dark black mass.
I was on all fours, panting with my eyes shut tight. The others began screaming in pain like I did, agonizing cries echoing out across the island. When my pain subsided, I slowly stood up. Grimacing, I looked at my back. Huge, midnight black wings spread out from my spine, fluttering slightly.
"What the fu-" was all I managed to get out before Red screamed hysterically.
"What the heck?! Ahhhh! Get these off me, help!" She shrieked, scratching at her back. Bright, long orange feathers covered her smallish wings, which fluttered out of her reach whenever she grabbed at them. I gripped both her wrists in my hands, feeling her pinky crack, but not break. She yelped in surprise, stilling.
"They're obviously some sort of sponsorship, Velvet. Chill the crap out," I growled, dropping her hands. Red whimpered, rubbing her wrists where I had grabbed them. I rolled my eyes, checking out my wings in my reflection of the inside Cornucopia wall. The other careers had wings as well: Callisto's were blood red, with brown tips, like dried blood; Titans were sky-blue, almost identical to the sky outside; Ian's were plain grey, folded at his back. All of us had the back of our uniforms ripped out from the wings, exposing a lot of skin.
I folded my wings to mimic Ian's, conscious of my vulnerability with them unfurled. The feeling was alien, the texture strange, and the mental part of having WINGS- well, lets just say it was troubling at first.
Ian stepped forward, dropping his spear by the door. "Well, we gotta try these out sooner of later. Let's try flying to an island," He suggested, fluttering his wings. I watched as he jumped off the edge, spreading his wings. Red screamed again as he dropped out of sight for a moment, before he soared up in the air. "C'mon, it's easy!" He called to us, flying against a soft breeze.
There's a thunk, and a scream from Ian as he clutches his chest. An arrow protrudes from his heart, bright sliver and coated in blood. He calls out as he tumbles farther away, feathers ripping from his wings and fluttering down behind him. Callisto stares in shock as he disappears from view, dropping her knife. His cannon booms moments later, announcing the inevitable. I gulp, picking up the spear he left by the opening. "Well, more food for us," I say, chuckling. Tossing the spear to Titan, I pick up an apple. It's still a bit green, so I spit it out over the edge, grimacing. Gross.
We wait awhile before we get bored. Somehow, we have to test or use these wings. So we carefully fly over to a large island, land some-what gracefully (not) on the edge. There, we find a large alliance camping out in the middle of a clearing. Quietly, we surround them, weapons drawn. It started with Callisto aiming an arrow and letting it fly. The arrow struck Bryan dead center in his back, killing him instantly. As his body slumped forward, everyone else looked up at us. Then the chaos erupted.
Isaac stood, but I quickly stabbed him before he could make it past me. Red killed Chrystal and Zeke in a blink of an eye, and Logan was impaled by Titan with a spear. By the time we had the last two girls cornered, we finally noticed something.
"Uh guys? They have wings too," Callisto pointed out, prodding Esperanza with an arrow. She whimpered, backing further away. I laughed, tossing my knife up in the air and catching it by the hilt.
"So they do, eh? Lets see if we can solve that," I grin, grabbing Aubrey by the wings. Slowly, I cut into her left wing, slicing easily through the thin skin. She screams in pain, her back convulsing. I kick her head to the ground, grinding my heel in her neck. "Shut up," I growl, completely cutting off the wing, dropping it to the ground.
The small stump I left behind bled quickly, soaking her back in the scarlet liquid. I smirked, tossing her back to Esperanza. "Now it's time to clip your wings, birdie," I snarl, throwing Esperanza to the ground. I take my time on her, slowly cutting off small sections of wings, maiming her bright green wings. By the time I'm bored, Callisto and Titan have already tied up Aubrey, guarding and harassing her. I roll my eyes, scoffing. "We're not going to keep them prisoners, morons. We're going to push them off the edge," I sigh, grabbing Esperanza and dragging her behind me by her hair.
Callisto grins in joy, rubbing her hands together. "Perfect! I call dibs on Aubrey!" She calls, pointing her sword at the girl. I scoff, grinning.
"Sure, but I get lil' parrot over here." I dig my throwing knife blade into the skin on Esperanza's shoulder. She sobs, flinching away. We drag them over to the edge as they struggle and scream, kicking at us. I jam the hilt of the knife in Esperanza's skull, momentarily dazing her. Forcefully, we make them stand on the edge, a footstep away from oblivion. "Now it's time for flying lessons," I whisper quietly in her ear, dragging the tip of the blade along a quivering vein in Esperanza's neck. A tiny rip in her skin leaks a few small drops of blood, a pleasant sight. I back away, arms out.
"May I have the honors?" Titan asks, bowing. I bite my lip, curtsying back. Nodding, I make a gesture to them. Titan grins widely, kicking them both over the edge. The girls scream as they fall, unable to use their wings to stop and lift themselves again. I chuckle evilly, watching them tumble away in glee. That was probably the most fun I've had in ages. Skinning small animals alive doesn't even amount to how fun torturing Aubrey was.
"Oh, the odds sure are in my favor, after all," I whispers to myself, strapping my knife back to my leg.